Friends by Choice-a McRoll in the Real World Story
by Mari217
Summary: Joan is very excited to be having a sleepover in her cousin Angie's room. The first of many. Part one of the first annual Angie's birthday marathon.


**It's here!** _ **Welcome to Angie's First Birthday Marathon!**_ **Please join us starting today for a new story posted daily from July 1 through July 7. We're excited to celebrate our baby girl's first birthday and we hope you are, too.**

 _Sammy & Ilna can you believe a year has passed since we made a person? From scratch? :)_

 _I love you both and I can't even fully express what your friendship means to me. Being on this ride together is one of the great joys on my life. Thank you - always._

 _Super thanks to SuperSammy for letting me run with her idea and all the input on this one._

 _REALMcRollers & Readers - Thank you from the bottom of our collective hearts for the support and love for the REAL World. We've only just begun. Xoxo_

* * *

 **Friends by Choice**

 _Angie's Birthday Marathon Part 1_

"You've got to be an extra good listener and be quiet if you're gonna sleep in here with the baby, okay, peanut?" Mary told Joan from where she was kneeling on the play mat in the nursery. Joan was tucked in but sitting up on the air matress and she nodded earnestly. "Remember we talked about it, right? Don't wake Angie up, okay?" She looked at the sleeping baby who, after an afternoon and evening of being entertained by her cousin and playing in her personal waterfall, dozed off halfway through her first storybook.

From the minute it was decided that Aunt Deb would be staying at the condo and for this trip Mary, Aaron and Joan were staying at the beach house, the little girl had been asking if she could sleep on the 'cloud bed', as she still called the air mattress, in Baby Angie's room.

"I'll be sooo good. I'll tell Baby Angie a story, and if she wakes up I'll get Aunt Cath and Uncle Steve and I won't try to take her out of the crib." Joan seemed tinier than usual lying on the double air mattress as she confirmed what she'd gone over with her parents for the past few days. That morning upon arrival, she'd immediately announced she was ready to sleep in the nursery.

Their niece looked so serious that Steve and Catherine shared a smile. Catherine knew exactly how much her husband wanted Angie and Joan to have a lifelong bond. The kind he and his sister were denied when they were ripped apart. The fact that a year after her cousin's birth, their baby was still Joan's very favorite person made her beyond happy.

"We know you'll be very good, sweetheart, and Uncle Steve and I have the monitor ..." she pointed it out. "Remember? So we can make sure you're both fine. If Angie wakes up for a little bit, she'll go back to sleep. If she doesn't, and she needs us, we'll hear on the monitor and come right in to check, okay?"

Joan shifted to adjust the Disney Princesses throw she'd brought from home to show her cousin. "Okay, Aunt Cath. I'm being a good listener."

"Of course you are." Steve glanced at Mary. "They'll be great, right, Joanie?"

Joan nodded, earnestly, echoing her uncle. "We'll be _great_ , Mama."

"Okay, you two." Mary shook her head with a smile and pointed between her brother and daughter. "Why do I feel like I'll be hearing that when your uncle takes you skydiving someday?" She stood and poked him playfully.

Steve smirked. "As soon as Joanie's ready." He bent to kiss her goodnight before her dad tucked her in again.

"Oh God, please wait till she's about 40…" Aaron joked, a hand over his heart.

Mary laughed. "I'd say that's perfect but Steve'll be doing those hi-low jump things at like 85 so…"

Catherine barked a laugh as her husband snorted and wrapped an arm over his sister's shoulder. " _HALO_ , Mare. H-A-L-O. High altitude, low opening …"

* * *

 **Sunday Morning**

" _...how I wonder what you are …"_

As the song floated into the room, Catherine blinked awake and placed a hand on Steve's chest. When his eyes met hers she whispered, "Shhh, listen…"

He smiled and grabbed the baby monitor, holding it between them.

Catherine pressed closer to hear the soft, little-girl voice. "That's the most adorable thing."

" _Up aaaa-bove the world so high, like a diamond in the skyyyy…"_ Joan sang quietly, and Catherine's heart just about melted. She whispered, _"_ Ohhh _"_ and listened with a smile until she laughed and moved to get up at a not-so-quiet sound.

" _Ahhhhh baaa baaa mama!"_ Her daughter's voice was loud and clear, followed by Joan answering, _"Okay, Baby Angie, I guess you don't wanna sleep any more."_

" _Mama mama mama dadadada ahhh!"_

The sound of shuffling could be heard as Joan got up and moved around the nursery. _"Okay, okay you wait right here and I'll go get your mama and daddy."_ A smacking air-kiss was blown as she added, _"I'll be really quick!"_

Seconds later, Steve and Catherine heard scuffling feet in the hall followed by their niece's knock as she called, "Uncle Steve, Aunt Cath, Baby Angie's ready to be awake. It's time for breakfast now!"

Steve met her at the door. "Hey, Joanie!" He lifted her for a hug, which she responded to with a quick one of her own before reiterating, "Baby Angie's calling you, Uncle Steve. I think she's hungry."

"You're right," He kissed her cheek before setting her on her feet. "Good job, sweetheart. Do you want to help Aunt Cath get Angie ready for breakfast while I take Cammie out?"

The dog had darted into the nursery to check on her little human and seeing all was well, re-appeared in the master bedroom doorway upon hearing her name.

"Woof!"

"G'morning, Cammie." Joan hugged the dog and her aunt, then bounced in place. "I wanna help you with Baby Angie, Aunt Cath!"

"Good girl. How about you use the potty first. I'll get Angie up, then after you help me dress her we can all go downstairs and start breakfast together?" She bent to kiss Joan's cheek. "Let's let your mama and daddy sleep a few more minutes."

""Kay!" Joan practically burst out of the bedroom as Steve and Catherine exchanged a grin.

"Go take Cammie," she said and pecked his lips. "We'll meet you in the kitchen."

* * *

Down in the kitchen, Joan's face lit in an even bigger smile when her parents entered the room about a half hour later.

"Mama! I'm helping feed Baby Angie!" she announced as Mary reached her first and kissed the tousled blond hair that was half in, half out of the ponytail she'd gone to bed with.

"Some people just say hello," Mary joked to Catherine before saying, "Good job, peanut."

As her mother bent to kiss Angie, Joan confirmed, "I was sooo quiet, Daddy!" She looked from her dad to her cousin, who was holding a spoon in one hand while shoving a piece of watermelon into her mouth with the other. "Right, Baby Angie?"

"Ahhh eeeee baba ahh," Angie answered with a huge smile.

"That means, 'Yes, thank you for being a good big cousin,' " Steve translated as he and Cammie returned from their run, making Joan beam as she put a little bit of cut up pancake on Angie's tray and forkful into her own mouth.

Mary and Aaron sat on either side of their daughter and filled their plates with pancakes and bacon while saying, "Thanks, Catherine," and, "Yeah, thanks for breakfast, we'll clean up."

"Hmmm, sticky," Aaron chuckled after kissing Joan's cheek, his eyes scanning the kitchen for his little girl's night time companion. "Hey, pumpkin?"

"What, Daddy?" Joan tore herself away from picking up the spoon Angie had dropped for the third time. Once the baby realized her cousin would retrieve the utensil, it had quickly become a game.

Joan grinned as Catherine took the baby's spoon and replaced it with more cut up fruit and pancake she could eat with her fingers. "You let Joan eat her breakfast, baby girl." She ran a hand over her daughter's head and kissed her nose before explaining, "Your cousin will have you picking up that spoon all morning, sweetie, she thinks it's a game."

Aaron smiled at the rapt attention his daughter was paying to the baby as he mopped up a small puddle of maple syrup inches away from her elbow. "Where's Bun, honey?" he asked, wondering if the beloved stuffed animal was in need of being de-syruped. Joan was rarely without her comfort bunny at breakfast and he'd had countless early morning trips to the washing machine.

"Bun? He's there." Joan looked up at her father briefly before turning her attention back to Angie, who was offering her a bite of melon. She pointed as Catherine simultaneously gestured to the island where Bun sat up against a box of cereal and said, "He's safe and sound. Away from all things sticky." She leaned over to kiss Joan's cheek and informed her niece's parents, "When I went to get Angie this morning, Bun was sleeping right next to her. Steve was beaming when Catherine said, "Thank you, again, sweetheart."

Mary and Aaron exchanged a look. "You let Angie have Bun?" Mary looked both surprised and proud.

Joan nodded, causing more blond hair to slip out of her ponytail. She pushed it behind her ear and said, "Baby Angie woke up so I gave her Bun. I borrowed him to her."

"Ohh." Mary wrapped the little girl in a hug. "That's … that's such good sharing, peanut. Daddy and I are really proud of you."

"I'm a big girl. Big girls share, right, Daddy?" Her eyes went to Aaron, who also leaned over to kiss the tousled mane.

"They absolutely do, pumpkin. And like Mama said, we're very proud of our big girl."

Steve caught his brother in law's gaze and the men shared a look. He knew exactly what was running through the younger man's mind when Aaron added, "Just don't be going off to college next week, okay?" He'd been hearing his best friend make similar statements for many years.

As Joan giggled at what she thought was her dad's silliness, Steve kissed his own daughter and smiled when she grabbed his cheeks and chanted, "Dada dada dada!'

"Looking to get out, hmmm?" He unbuckled Angie and lifted her from the highchair with a smile. "Okay, there you go. And what Uncle Aaron said? That goes for you, too," he addressed the baby, who patted his cheeks with both hands. He turned her to face his niece. "Say 'thank you' to Joanie for being such a great cousin."

"Ahhh ga ga ma!"

Joan grinned ear-to-ear. "You're welcome, Baby Angie." She looked at Steve. "At school I got a sticker for bein' good at sharing with my friends." She nodded to accentuate her point. "And me an' Baby Angie, we're friends and cousins, like me and Avery."

Joan looked at her father as her mother and aunt said, "awww" at the same moment.

"Daddy? What's gran'pa say?"

Aaron beamed. "Primos por casualidad, amigos por elección. Cousins by chance friends by choice." He translated. "Dad says that about Joan and Avery."

"'Cause me and Avery are friends and cousins." Joan wiped her mouth on the napkin Mary held out to her and stood up from her seat at the table. "Aunt Cath?"

"What, sweetie?"

"What's Baby Angie gonna wear today?"

Catherine grinned and looked at Mary. "I don't know. Do you want to help me pick something out?"

Joan hopped in place. "Can you wait right here?" She grabbed Mary's hand when she stood, tugged her towards the living room. "C'mon, Mama, can we show Baby Angie now?"

Catherine and Steve exchanged a look and she called, "We'll wait right here," after her niece and sister in law's retreating forms.

When they returned a few minutes later, Joan's hair was in a fresh ponytail and she was sporting pink and red shorts. "Uncle Steve, Aunt Cath, look at my shirt!" she announced about her pink top with JOAN in red glittery letters across the front.

"That's … very sparkly, Joanie," Steve said with a barely contained grin.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She held out the bottom to better see the letters herself. "Look, Baby Angie! We got you one so we can match again!" She took a tiny version from her mother's hands and held it up to show her cousin.

Steve smiled turned the baby to better see Joan as Catherine said, "Look, Angie, look what Joan got for you, sweetheart!"

As if she understood that the word ANGIE in red letters meant her, the baby kicked excitedly.

"That's adorable, Mar...," Catherine began until Steve's bark of laughter caught her attention. He was reading the back of the tiny shirt as he said, "Now _that_ is perfect."

Stepping close as Joan spun to show the back of hers, Catherine's grin lit the room.

There on the back in cammo green letters, two little shirts read,

" _ **McGarrett Cousins**_

… _**because the world**_

 _ **couldn't handle us**_

 _ **as siblings"**_

 _# End - thanks for reading!_

* * *

 _Join us tomorrow for for part two of Angie's birthday marathon!_

 _Find all our stories (in chronological order!) on our website:_ _ **marirealmcroll dot wixsite dot com backslash real-mcroll**_

 _Or in the McRoll in the REAL World community here on fanfiction dot net_ _ **Find us on Tumblr: mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com**_

 _You can join our mailing list by_ _ **emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com**_ _with: Add me, please! in the subject line. Or just drop us a line to say hi! We love hearing from our readers._

 _And find me on Twitter asking your opinions on all things McRoll in the REAL World! at Mari21763 and add #REALMcRoller_


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